On small plots of land with some small fields and mostly woods, where would you set up for turkeys? Also the turkey's in this area don't talk much. Trying to pin point where there are is proving difficult. Any suggestions?
Although their eyesight is excellent, they also depend on hearing. They will move into a field if it is raining or heavy dew. I have quite a few in my area and they will call back to my gobbler call, depending on the mood they're in or where the hens are. Good luck. It's a great sport and you finally get out to hunt.
I tuck in about 50yds in to the woods from a fields edge. Use the woods for cover and breakup your outline. If your turkeys are shy, change up your call frequency. You might even need to just get a different type/brand call if the "old' hasnt been working for you.
ypure not gonna get them to talk this time of year. but to answer your question you will never go wrong setting on a field because they are gonna be out there at some point in the day.
Mow one field in the afternoon. Next morning go sit in the woods by that field. Turkey come to eat bugs and seeds from freshly mowed grass and you kill them.
The number one rule of hunting...is get out there and hunt...you can't bag em by sitting on your couch..I've had my best luck in a blind at the edge of a field...
I am by no means an expert turkey hunter but I have good luck sitting about 5-10yds in the woods along the edge of the field. As previously stated, it helps break up your outline but gives you a clear shot into the field. My first year I switched things up a few times going from a blind on the edge of the field to sitting against a tree near a heavily traveled trail in the woods, to sitting just inside the woods on the edge of the field. Try some different approaches and practice calling but don't call too much when hunting... I know I have been guilty of doing so when I first started.
I can't claim to be an expert since I killed my first two birds last year (IN & KY) but I was present when another three were killed and we hunted around nine days total. All of the birds we killed were taken in or on the edge of fields. I don't know if it's a visibility issue but the birds seem to be much more willing to move (come to you) in the fields. We set up numerous times in the woods and had birds in sight but they were never willing to come in all the way.
We did mostly spot (or hear) and stalk rather than setting up and trying to call them in, most of the time we could see them before getting set up. Never attempted to roost them in the evening, just went out before daybreak and started owl calling to locate them. Can't wait to go again!!
Just got to pattern them. Ive killed more turkeys in woods than fields, I like the cover, and the ability to move under cover if I have to. Generally I only go to fields when I know the bird I am after is there and know I can get a good stalk on him.
But thats just me, it really all depends on the birds patterns.
I have 13 acres of just woods, for last 3 years while deer hunting, a flock of 30 or so birds have walked by my ground blind, come from the north, later they walk back by from the south. They are coming from and returning to neighbors woods. This will be my first year to try and get one. Just gonna set in my ground blind.
I've found that the birds will fly down from the roost to the field's, strut/feed early in the morning's. They'll move to the woods later in the morning. They'll hang out in the wooded areas during the late morning to afternoon and then come back to the fields in the late evenings and then fly up and roost. This is what I found out in my years of hunting them. It's not set in stone but pretty close LOL, for my style of hunting. It's turkey hunting so everything is subject to change! Find the hen's and you'll find the tom's!